


Protector

by starstruk97



Series: 5SOS One Shots [4]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: AU, Angst, BAMF Ashton, Backstory, Bullying, Death Threats, Emotional, Fights, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Guns, Hospitals, How They Met, Hurt Luke, Hurt/Comfort, Kid 5sos, Lashton - Freeform, Little Luke, M/M, Major Character Injury, Malum Friendship, Mugging, Near Death Experiences, OT4, OT4 Friendship, Protective Ashton, Protective Calum, Protective Michael, Snow, Swearing, Violence, Vulnerable Luke, big brother ashton, lashton friendship, malum, no one dies, physical injuries, though someone is shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 03:53:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3275690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstruk97/pseuds/starstruk97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are certain rules that come with being the eldest of your group of friends, the number one rule being: Always protect your younger friends.</p><p>" From then on, Luke joined the group, and I had someone to protect and look after. Someone to teach and guide. A baby ‘brother’. And it was my favourite thing in the world. Still is. I don’t care how many fist fights, detentions, suspensions and groundings I have received for standing up for him, I don’t and never will regret any of them because each one of them saved my little bro some kind of pain. "</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protector

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: it may have bad punctuation and spelling and other grammatical mistakes, so I’m sorry in advance, I wrote this when I was extremely tired!
> 
> I hope you guys like it.
> 
> This is a story I wrote previously for another fandom and have changed it to fit 5sos..

Ashton’s POV

There are certain rules that come with being the eldest of your group of friends, the number one rule being: Always protect your younger friends. I’m lucky. I’ve always been relatively tall, good-looking, kind and strong, the perfect older friend. 

Mrs Clifford and my mum were great friends since they were in high school, and when she found out my mum was pregnant; she thought she would have a child soon too. One year and four months after I was born, Michael came around.

We’ve been friends since the beginning, brothers basically. We were ‘play mates’ when we were only toddlers and soon started to play music together. We were inseparable, just like any other 5 and 4 year old pair of best friends.

It was one of our first days of school, though, when we met Calum. At that time I was 6 and Michael was 5. We were playing with blocks in the noisy classroom when Michael let out a surprised squeal. I turned to look at my ‘brother’ and instead saw Orange paint coating Michael, who was about to burst into tears.

“Mikey looks like an Orange!” Jason, the meanest first grade bully tormented.

I was about to stand up for Michael when someone beat me to it.

“That wasn’t very nice. You should apologize to him.” A brunette spoke softly, standing behind me.

“Make me poo-face!” Jason laughed.

I heard the mystery kid gasp, but he recovered quickly, “Poo-face isn’t word, stupid.”

I giggled, this kid was smart. But dumb for standing up to Jason alone.

“I- um- uh.” Jason muttered before stepping forward and pushing the kid over.

The brunette fell on this bottom and looked like he was about to start crying.

“Hey!” I yelled, standing up to the bully, “don’t be so mean!”

“Why should I?” Jason asked.

“Because if you hurt my friends, I’ll hurt you.” I stood strong.

“How?”

“I’ll tell the teacher and you’ll have to go into the naughty corner and miss out on the numbers game!” I threatened.

Jason gasped and stepped back, “You wouldn’t be a tell tale!”

“I would for my friends!” I argued.

“Fine!” Jason whined, “I’m sorry!” He ran off upset.

“Are you alright?” I asked the new kid, helping him up.

“Yeah , thanks. The names Calum.”

“No, thank you Calum, for sticking up for my friend Michael. I’m Ashton.”

Calum smiled and made his way over to a distressed Michael. “I can help you clean up?”

“Really?” Michael’s eyes widened, “Thank you!”

I smiled as Michael and Calum walked off together. 

Those two became the best of friends, always hanging with each other, Michael always protecting Calum, who was 2 months younger. I started to feel slightly left out. I still played and talked to them, but they seemed to have more fun together. Anyway, wasn’t I now supposed to protect Michael and Calum? But Michael protected Calum, and Calum protected Michael. Who was I supposed to protect? 

That answer came a couple years later when I was 12 and Calum and Michael were 11.

It was a snowy afternoon at the park, and we three boys were geared up in our winter woollies, playing in the snow. We were having a snow ball fight!  
I was hiding behind a tree, squatting as I made some snowballs to throw at the others, when I heard someone clear their voice from beside me. I looked up to see a young boy, standing slightly taller than my squatting form, with pale skin and blonde hair. I stood up, now towering over his tiny frame, “Yes?” I questioned.

“Um- Hi, uh- I was wondering, I saw you uh- having so much fun and yeah- I was wondering If I um- could maybe play too, y’know? Um- P-please?” His voice was high pitched and squeaky like a young child’s voice.

I looked at him. He looked to be only 8 or so years old, someone way to young for a 12 year old to play with! I wasn’t going to slow my game down or make it ‘safer’ just so some little kid could join in with me and my friends. “Hey uh- sorry but this game is a bit too dangerous for someone of your age. Why don’t you find some kids a bit younger, closer to your age, to play with?”

The kids face fell, big blue eyes looking dejected and lonely, “B-but I – you don’t – Please I – uh – sorry.”

I watched as the kid slowly walked off, head down. I continued with my game for another hour, but that didn’t stop me from noticing that little kid go up to multiple of the other kids and then walk miserably away.

“Cal? Mikey? I’m just going to get a drink! Keep playing, I’ll be back in a bit!” I yelled to my snow covered friends.

“Alrighty!” They both yelled back.

As I was making my way to the picnic basket I passed the little boy who had talked to me earlier. He was sitting on the swings crying. I signed, I felt bad. I walked over to him, and stood in front of the weeping boy. “Are you alright?” I asked.

He lifted his little chubby face, eyes red from tears, “No, no one will let me play with them.”

I sighed again. “Maybe I could help you find someone your age to play with?”

“I wanna play with the bigger kids! They aren’t that much older!” He squeaked.

I inwardly growled, why couldn’t he play with kids his own age? “How about them?” I pointed to a group of boys, maybe my age or slightly older, standing together laughing.

“Okay...” The blonde kid mumbled, following me as I led him over.

“Hey guys!” I said loudly, getting their attention.

“What do you want?” One, the leader maybe, asked.

“Listen, this kid wants some guys to hang out with, to play with, will you please?” I grumbled, embarrassed.

The group looked at the small boy, smirking, “Yeah sure, I’ll help the kid out.” The leader agreed.

I looked up, surprised at the answer, “sweet! There you go, kid.”

I pushed the boy forward before running off to get my drink. Little did I know that I had put that kid in so much danger.

I grabbed the three water bottles from the basket and ran back to my two younger friends, “Hey guys, I brought you some water.” I walked over to them when I didn’t get an answer. They were looking at something, no longer continuing with the game. “Did you guys hear me?”

“Shh!” Calum whispered, motioning for me to come over to him. I walked over confused, trying to see what they were looking at.

“Dude, something is going on down there!” Michael gasped.

“What do you mean? I can’t see anyone!” I groaned, thinking they were playing a trick on me.

“Seriously man, we heard something, maybe a struggle, and then it sounded like a girl cried out or something. When we ran over we couldn’t see anything. I got an eerie feeling though, should we check it out?” Michael questioned curiosity and fear in his eyes.

“ Yeah Ash, we’re telling the truth.” Calum whimpered. “We heard something; maybe we should get Michael’s mum?” Calum spoke slowly.

“Come on, I doubt it was anything. Here, let’s go take a look, if we see something we go get Mrs Clifford.” I led them down the small hill quietly. We kept ourselves hidden behind the trees and shrubs, listening carefully for anything out of the ordinary. 

“Can we go back? Please? I’m freaked out.” Calum admitted, looking down.

“It’s alright Cal; I’ve got your back.” Michael soothed.

Just when I was about to tell them that their suspicions were wrong, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. “Shh!” I hushed my friends, sneaking forward to get a better look.

I held in a gasp at what I saw. 

The young blonde child was on the ground, yelling muffled cries as the boys I had left him with, beat him mercilessly. What I did next wasn’t my smartest move, but there was no going back after it. I screamed out to them, “Leave him alone! Get off him! Stop!”

I sprinted towards them, their surprised faces giving me a chance to tackle the closest guy off-guard. I landed on top of him, straddling his waist as my fists pummelled into his face. Once the other three boys figured out what was going on, the leader pushed me off the now bleeding guy and kicked me in the ribs.

For a minute, things were a blur, all three boys, except the one I beat the hell out of, started beating into me until my two loyal friends joined in. It was three against three, a pretty even fight, although they were older and bigger. But Calum, Michael and I rough housed a lot, so we were used to a little fighting, and after a few minutes the older boys decided beating us up to beat the kid up more was pointless, and they surrendered and ran off.

Calum, Michael and I panted with our hands on our knees. Calum sporting a slowly forming bruise on his cheek and a split lip, Michael had a bruised jaw and had slightly rolled his ankle, while I had a bloodied nose, what would be black eye tomorrow and my ribs were hurting pretty bad. Our injuries were nothing compared to the tiny blonde’s, though.

His face was black and blue, and I had no doubt his chest would be too. He had blood coming from his nose, mouth and a tiny cut above his right eyebrow. He was crying, his whimpers muffled by his own glove being cruelly shoved in his mouth.

“Hey kid,” I soothed, “You’re alright now, I’ve got you.”

I softly pulled the glove out of his mouth, sliding his hand back into it before he got frostbite. He let out a loud whine, fresh tears adding with the old ones.

“Are you okay? Anything hurt really, really bad?” Stupid question. Of course he wasn’t okay, and everything would hurt really, really bad!

“Mummy...” he moaned.

“Calum! I need your help! Your Aunt’s a doctor right? Can you help him?” I cried to my friend.

“Um- I’ll take a look, see what I can do.” Calum stuttered, nervous.

I stood back and watched as Calum assessed the kid’s injuries. “We should take him to Mrs Clifford, or his parents, he may need a hospital.” Calum concluded.

I crouched beside the boy again. “Hey kid, what is your name?” I asked calmly.

“L-l-luke.”

“Alright Luke, I’m going to pick you up, and take you to my friends mum so she can help you. Are you okay with that?”

Luke merely nodded, and I carefully put and arm beneath his knees and shoulders, picking him up and cradling his tiny form to my chest.

I followed my friends as we looked around for Mrs Clifford. When we found her and told her what happened, she called an ambulance while Michael looked for Luke’s mum.

When the ambulance arrived, Liz, Luke’s mum, went to the hospital with Luke while Mrs Clifford drove us to the waiting room.

It was a long two hours, of eye-spy and thumb wrestles before we were allowed into Luke’s hospital room. We were glad to hear he had only moderate bruising and required 2 stiches in the cut above his eyebrow. No broken bones or concussions, thank god!

“Hey buddy.” I said as I entered the room, followed by Michael and Calum, “How are you holding up?”

“H-hey. I’m good t-thanks.” He didn’t make eye contact as he spoke softly.

There was an awkward silence before he spoke up again. “T-Thank you. For saving me.”

His eyes met mine, “I’m sorry you were even there in the first place. It was my fault.”

“You were just trying to help.” He mumbled.

“If I wanted to help, I would have let you play with me. I just didn’t want to play with a 7 year old. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not 7.” He spoke; I looked up, motioning for him to go on.

“I’m 10. My birthday is in July. 4 months away.” He smiled, the first time I had seen him do it.

“R-really?” Now I was the one stuttering.

“Yeah. I’m just short.”

Now I felt embarrassed, I probably would have let him played with me if he had looked 10.

“How about, when you’re all better, to make it up to you, you can come play with us. We have been looking for a fourth member for a while now so we can have even teams when we play games. Also do you like music?” I offered.

“That would be amazing!” His smile brightened the room, “And no I don’t play anything, is it fun?”

I gasped. “You don’t know what you’re missing! You have to play it! I can teach you!”

“Isn’t it a little late for that? Most people start when they are 5 or 6.” Luke looked at his hands.

“No way! You’ll have the best teachers. Mikey is the best on guitar for under 14’s in the school! Calum can sing like an angel, and I rock the drums.”

“Whoa! You guys sound really good!”

From then on, Luke joined the group, and I had someone to protect and look after. Someone to teach and guide. A baby ‘brother’. And it was my favourite thing in the world. Still is. I don’t care how many fist fights, detentions, suspensions and groundings I have received for standing up for him, I don’t and never will regret any of them because each one of them saved my little bro some kind of pain.

Even now, today, I am looking after him.

The four of us had just gone for a walk to pick up some pizza for dinner, at Mikey’s demand. It was late, around 8, because we didn’t want to be too conspicuous. The last thing we need is fans find us and starting a riot. 

We were about 15 minutes away from the hotel, and 5 away from Dominos when I saw Luke shiver and tense.

“Hey, Lukey, you alight?” I ask casually, looking up from my phone where I was on Twitter.

“Those people ahead just look a little shady, I guess. I feel uncomfortable. I think they are looking at us.” Luke kept his head down, while talking to me, making sure not to look ahead at the group of 5-6 men drinking beers at the bus stop.

I looked at them, and admittedly, they were pretty scary: large, built, taller than us and intoxicated. I wrapped an arm around Luke’s shoulders and pulled him closer to me, while tapping Michael on the shoulder and interrupting his conversation with Cal.

“Guys, Luke’s a little worried about that group of guys up ahead. Maybe we should cross the road?”

Michael and Calum looked ahead and saw the group. They turned back to me and agreed, better safe than sorry as Calum had said.

We stopped, ready to cross the road, when they noticed us. They must have seen Michael and Calum look their way.

“Hey!” One called out.

Luke let out a small worried breathe and I held him tighter, grabbing Calum’s wrist, who grabbed Mikey’s. 

“Hey! You kids! I’m talking to you!” They started getting rowdy and loud, standing up and beginning to come towards us.

I knew we needed to get away, but a constant stream on traffic refused to allow us to cross. “Come on, come on. Hurry up.” My voice wavered slightly even though I tried to not let it. 

Finally the stream of traffic ended, the last car on the street speeding away. “Go!” I whispered yelled, pushing Luke out ahead of me and pulling the two other boys quickly. 

I thought we had got away but we were too late.

“Ow!” I heard Michael yelp, followed by my arm being tugged back by Calum who was attached to Michael. One the guys had run up and now had Michael by the arm, roughly pulling him back and breaking the connection he had with Calum. Before we could even react another large man had wrapped him arms around Calum, and despite the bassist having a lean and strong body, his struggling could not dislodge the larger man.

“No! Let them go!” I yelled, rushing towards them and trying to free them. A man jumped at me and we struggled for a few seconds before a second man grabbed me from behind, pulling me into a painful arm-lock while Calum and Mikey were similarly restrained.

We were done for.

“S-stop! L-let them go or I’ll call the p-police!” I whipped my head to the side to see Luke standing in the middle of the road with his phone near his ear. If he was trying to hide how scared he was, it wasn’t working; the voice stuttering, hand shaking, body trembling and eyes shining. 

“Luke, run! Now!” I yelled out, hoping to god he’d get away. I struggled harder, so did Cal and Mikey, but to no prevail.

Luke didn’t seem to have heard me as the two remaining men tarted to head towards him menacingly. His shaking intensified and breathing hitched.

“Now, now kid, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I could easily just hurt your friends here.” Who I assumed has the leader said, continuing in his advance. 

Luke stumbled back, “D-don’t come closer! I won’t call if you let them go.”

“Pretty boy, you’re so far out of your depth.” The man chuckled, “drop the phone now, or regret it. Your choice, kid.”

Luke gulped and his eyes watered. He hesitated a second before locking his eyes on mine, as if asking what should he do. I was about to scream for him to run again, but the men took his vulnerability and pounced.

The leader gasped a fistful of blonde hair and yanked Luke closer toward him, shaking him around and dragging him towards by his blonde locks. Luke cried out and gripped the man’s hand trying to pull it away, however failing.

The leader chuckled, kicking Luke’s legs out from underneath him, so he landed painfully on his knees. Keeping the grip on his hair, he forced Luke’s head down and pulled one delicate wrist back up between broad shoulder blades with his spare hand, forcing Luke into a vulnerable kneeling-like position. 

“Ah! P-please s-stop! It h-hurts!” Luke yelped, crying as he tried to remove the strain on his arm and look up to his friends.

“Get the fuck off him!” I roared, twisting and turning futilely while Cal and Mikey thrashed. 

“Shh. Be quiet! I don’t appreciate that kind of language.” The leader smirked while his minions laughed.

“Yeah? Well I don’t appreciate you hurting my friends! So let us go you asshole!” I growled, never before this angry.

He didn’t answer, just remained silent while making full eye contact with me. He lightly smirked and pulled further on Luke’s arm. Luke screamed and whimpered, tears falling down flushed cheeks as he struggled to breathe evenly.

“No! Stop!” I cried out, watching as my littlest ‘brother’ squirmed and cried in pain. The bastard didn’t even look down at the crying mess he was making of Luke. 

“You know, we were just going to mug you, steal your money and leave you be, but obviously you, Curly, need to be taught a lesson in manners, and Boy Toy here as well for even thinking of calling the police.” The leader shook Luke’s head around by the hair making him whimper. “Put the other two against the wall, they don’t need to see this.”

The two men holding Calum and Mikey yanked them around and forced them face first against the brick wall behind them. Calum and Michael struggled but were unable to break free. Once pinned against the wall they squirmed to see what was going to behind them but the men holding them grabbed their head and held them straight against the wall. 

Once the two other boys were restrained, the leader nodded towards his second in command who unsheathed a pistol from his jacket and jammed it against Luke’s temple. 

Luke cried out in fear, crying harder than he ever has before, shaking , trembling and hyperventilating. “Oh god, no, no, no p-please! P-please, please, no. I’m sorry, so s-sorry! D-don’t do it, p-please. Oh god!” Luke whimpered and hiccupped continuously begged and pleading incoherently for his life.

“No!” I howled, tears spilling over at how serious things just became. “No stop! Please don’t do this! You can’t do that! Please! Not to him! He doesn’t deserve it please! He-he’s not even 18, yet! He’s still a minor! God, no, please! I’ll do anything!”

“What? What’s going on? Ash? Luke!?” Calum screamed not know what was going on. Michael started trashing once again as tears threatened to break though the dam walls. 

“Too late now, Ash, was it? Lukey’s gonna die so vulnerable and alone.” The leader pushed Luke’s head all the way to the ground, roughly shoving his forehead against the concrete so he couldn’t see anyone, so he would be alone with no one to reassure him when he died. 

“Die? No! Stop! Leave him alone!” Michael begged, tears falling freely.

“It’s ok Lukey, I love you alright. Don’t be scared baby boy, I love you so m-“ my voice was cut off by the large hand of the man behind me.

“I said he is to die alone. That means he can’t see you or hear you.” The leader waited a few seconds in silence before looking at me directly in the eyes. “Say goodbye.”

What happened next was a blur. Before I was trapped, now I am free. I can taste blood in my month, am I bleeding? I definitely know that I’m moving. A bang goes of distantly and a pain filled scream follows. Then there is a mess of limbs, a struggle perhaps and suddenly everything is clearer.

There I stand with the gun in my hands pointing it at the two men still holding Calum and Michael. The leader is passed out of the floor bleeding from the head, the man who was restraining me is slowly running away, nursing a bleeding hand, and the second in command is ordering the remaining two to ‘let them go and lets’ get outta here’. And then there is little Lukey, lying at my feet with a growing puddle of blood beneath him. 

I stand the shaking as the criminals run away and Mikey and Cal whip around. The see my frighten state and stay perfectly still, holding their hands up in a non-threatening gesture.

“Ash. Ashton? They’re gone now, it’s all ok. You can put the gun down, we need to help Luke.” Michael soothly slowing and calming although he desperate wants to see if his little brother is even alive.

“Did... D-did I shoot someone?” I hiccup and my voice faltering, tear welling up once again.

“No. You didn’t, Ash. Everyone has run off, definitely not shot.” Calum tries to reassure him.

“What about him?” I nod toward the leader who was lying on the ground bleeding from the head.

Michael looks at him, gags and turn away. “You didn’t shoot him either. That’s not a bullet shot... Maybe you ahh, pistol whipped him?"

That triggers something in my memory. I bit my captors hand and his blood pools into my month, before he yelps and lets me go. I sprint at the man holding a gun to my baby ‘brother’ and tackle him just as he pulls the trigger. Ripping the gun from his shocked grasp I smack the handle over his head sending him into unconsciousness. I hold the gun correctly, stand up and scream at the remain men to run. They do.

I gasp, drop the gun and fall to my knees beside Luke. Michael and Cal follow my lead.

“Lukey, Lukey are you ok? Please, please be ok.” I cries as he hauls up Luke’s dead weight against his chest, limp head resting on the drummer shoulder. 

The jerking movement thrusts Luke back into the land of consciousness as he screams out, pain radiating from his shoulder.

“LUKE!” The three of us cried out in joy.

“Where are you hurt Lukey? I can’t tell, there is so much blood. Oh god, are you ok?” I kiss the top of his pavement-scratched forehead.

“S-sh... argh, should-er” Luke’s struggling with the pain but all I can do it laugh and hold him tighter. I thought I had lost him. Calum and Michael call the ambulance and put pressure on the wound.

“It’s alright Lukey, you’re safe now. Nothing is going to hurt you when I’m around baby bro. I’ll protect you. Always” I brush the hair out of his eyes and kiss him kindly again, allowing him to slip in and out of consciousness in my arms.

“T-thank y-y-you.” He stuttered out weakly, tear slowly stopping, as he snuggled closer into me. 

“No problem Lukey. I would do anything for you.” 

Luke slipped back into unconsciousness, but we weren’t too worried as we knew he’d be ok. We just sat, all four of us huddled together, waiting for the ambulance, calling the police and reflecting on exactly how lucky we were to have each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoped you liked it. It was a bit random, and all over the place, I kinda made it up as I went. Kudo and Comment please. I would love feedback on this!
> 
> If you have any Luke Centric hurt/comfort/angst one shot ideas, feel free to send them through. No promises at all, because I am super busy with uni, sport and 3 jobs but hey I might really like it and get around to it one day!!


End file.
